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General News

8 December, 2022

Ripon turns red as Labor's Martha Haylett declares victory over marginal local seat

Labor’s Martha Haylett will be the next Member for Ripon, claiming one of the most marginal seats in the state from the Liberal Party, with incumbent member Louise Staley conceding defeat. Ms Staley, who has held the seat for the last eight years...

By Riley Upton

Ripon turns red as Labor's Martha Haylett declares victory over marginal local seat - feature photo

Labor’s Martha Haylett will be the next Member for Ripon, claiming one of the most marginal seats in the state from the Liberal Party, with incumbent member Louise Staley conceding defeat.

Ms Staley, who has held the seat for the last eight years, officially conceded defeat on Wednesday before the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) could declare a successful candidate, with a recheck of votes underway at the time.

As of Ms Staley’s declaration on Wednesday afternoon, the two-candidate preferred vote saw Ms Haylett favoured with just under 53 percent of the vote, followed by Ms Staley with 47 percent.

Under the first preference vote system, the VEC has Ms Haylett in front of Ms Staley by a margin of just over 1000 votes.

Late Thursday afternoon the VEC officially declared Ms Haylett as the new Member for Ripon.

It marks a stark difference compared to the 2018 election which saw Ms Staley retain the seat over Labor’s candidate by a margin of just 15 votes.

In a statement, Ms Staley said she would not be a candidate in the future but would support the next Liberal candidate for Ripon in representing the community, something she said was the “greatest honour”.

“Representing the people of Ripon in the Victorian Parliament has been the greatest honour and delight of my professional life,” she said.

“I loved every minute of it and I thank the Liberal Party for preselecting me and the voters for electing me twice.

“The communities of Ripon rightly demand much of their MP and I worked every day to repay the trust placed in me over eight years.

“My time in public life has now ended. I will not be a candidate in the future but I look forward to backing the next Liberal candidate for Ripon and helping her or him win back the seat for the Liberal Party in 2026.

“I congratulate Martha Haylett MP on her election.”

Recognised as one of the state’s most marginal seats, just last year the electoral boundaries for Ripon were changed to incorporate parts of western and northern Ballarat from the Wendouree District, while towns like Stawell and Donald were lost.

With Ms Staley conceding defeat, Ms Haylett has returned Ripon to Labor for the first time in eight years, when the seat was last held by Labor MP Joe Helper from 1999 to 2014.

In a statement on Wednesday, Ms Haylett promised not to let Ripon voters down.

“It is with pride that I can now say I will be the next Member for Ripon in the Victorian Parliament,” she said.

“To the voters of Ripon, I am humbled by your support.

“I understand the job you’ve given me and I will not let you down.

“I am incredibly grateful to my campaign team and the local true believers who worked so hard, and have waited a long time to turn Ripon red.

“Together we achieved a result many thought we couldn’t.”

Ms Haylett said as the new Member for Ripon, she would waste no time in getting to work.

“We will get straight to work on delivering key promises, including making V/Line fares equal with metro Melbourne, reestablishing the State Electricity Commission to reduce power bills, upgrading sporting facilities, and building brand-new childcare centres,” she said.

“It will be the honour of my life to represent Ripon in the Victorian Parliament and do what matters for our region.”

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